


a pirate's life for me

by SpontaneouslyAWOL



Series: A Compilation of Short Stories [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: (brief) descriptions of death, Bad Fight scenes, Gen, Pirates, all i know of sailing and pirates comes from wikipedia and pirates of the caribbean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-30 21:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10885686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpontaneouslyAWOL/pseuds/SpontaneouslyAWOL
Summary: Written for the prompt, "Your ship gets overtaken by pirates. When the captain shows up you realise it's your mother."That's pretty much it. That is the story.





	a pirate's life for me

It started as a distant shouting, the members above deck running about thunderously. Maria stared at the door with a frown, knife slowing its elegant motions. Dmitry shot nervous glances at her from his position on the floor, sponge clutched nervously in hand. She made an effort to smooth out her features when she noticed him looking, but couldn't erase the faint wrinkle between her eyebrows. "Keep scrubbing," she ordered. "It's probably not-"

Micah crashed through the doors with enough force to send them bouncing off the walls, blue eyes huge. His chest heaved as he gasped for breath. "All hands above deck," he wheezed, "pirates incoming - moving fast - prepare for battle." He coughed, spun around and sprinted off.

Dmitry's mind went blank with sheer terror.

" _Pirates_ ," Maria hissed, expression twisting into something ugly. Her hand clutched the handle with a white-knuckled grip. She rammed it into the table with a dull, vicious thud. He flinched, blinking rapidly as his thought processes restarted. He'd forgotten her brother had died in a pirate attack. "God _damn_  it. We're just a small-time merchant ship, we don't have enough cannons for a drawn-out battle, we'll have to - forget the bucket, Dmitry, just go." She swept the potatoes into a bucket and kicked it under the table. "What are you waiting for? _Go_!"

He startled, but unfroze and scrambled to his feet. Maria hurried to the door, Dmitry hot on her heels. There was already a stream of sailors rushing towards deck, pistols in hand and swords tucked into belts. The two ran to the crew's quarters and armed themselves, Maria with a heavy musket, cutlass and dagger, Dmitry with a simple short sword. Maria eyed it before tossing him a small revolver. He caught it with a small, tight nod and hands that shook only slightly. His stomach was churning uncomfortably, and he felt like he needed to throw up, but he had to pull himself together. His life literally depended on it. Swallowing heavily, he forced the rising panic down and trotted after Maria's rapidly-moving back.

The noise level rose as they grew closer to the ladder leading above deck. They were almost there when a low, muffled  _boom_  sounded - the _Singing Dove_  had fired a warning shot. There was a brief moment of silence, before an answering cannon, followed by a loud crash, rocked the ship. Screams and the blast of return fire assaulted their ears. With a low snarl, Maria drew her sword and threw herself through the doors. Dmitry choked back a whimper and reached for the handrail, almost losing his grip as the ship jolted again. He emerged onto the deck to absolute chaos.

In the time between Micah's message and their arrival on deck, the pirates had managed to not only catch up, but board. Their ship had pulled up starboard of the _Singing Dove_ , a number of wooden planks, thick ropes and grappling hooks connecting the two ships. The _Dove_ 's main mast was tilting dangerously to the side, damaged from a glancing cannonball. Dmitry saw a furious Maria slashing at the nearest pirate; tall, dark Cain battling three women at the helm; stony-faced Alma taking aim from the crow's nests; slender Blair tear his blade from a limp pirate's back; the captain's wild red mane as she parried an enormous axe.

Blood stained the polished floor. Everywhere he looked, bodies lay sprawled on the deck, slumped over the railings, screaming in pain. It was a nightmare.

Distracted as he was, Dmitry almost missed the club heading towards him. He barely managed to raise his sword in time. The bad angle had pain lancing through his arm as he tripped to the side.

A blonde pirate in a stained white shirt grinned toothily at him. "Almost had ya," she called mockingly, raising her weapon again. The dark wood glistened wetly. She lunged towards him, swinging at his head. Dmitry ducked and retaliated, lashing out blindly at her shoulder. She dodged and struck his sword, sending him stumbling as he struggled to keep hold of both his weapon and his balance. His back hit the wall by the door he had exited moments before; the pirate pressed her advantage by stabbing forward with a dagger in her other hand, club blocking a strike from the side. Dmitry deflected it with a twist of his wrist, pushing off the wall for extra leverage as he aimed for her heart. She stepped aside, but slipped on a slippery patch. His sword slid into her stomach. It was both easier and harder than he expected; he encountered more resistance than he would have thought, but the force sank his blade sank deep all the same. Considering he was basically poking a solid chunk of meat and muscle with a sharp stick, he wasn't surprised when it stuck slightly. Dmitry hurriedly yanked his sword free and rapidly backed away. The pirate gasped and fell back into the fray, the clatter of her falling dagger lost among the rest of the battle, clutching at her stomach until a wild bullet clipped her in the head. She collapsed. He was morbidly reminded of a marionette, strings cut, carelessly abandoned.

Dmitry felt sick.

He swallowed harshly, hand clenching around his sword's grip, as the sounds of battle - previously muted and distant - abruptly came crashing back. It filled his ears until all he heard was the shrieks of the dying, the sharp clash of metal-on-metal, the percussive blasts of muskets. His breath rasped in his throat as he stared at the blonde pirate's corpse, ears ringing. He would have stood longer if not for a stray gunshot cracking the wood a foot away from his head. Splinters grazed the side of his face and neck, numerous thin slices that stung surprisingly viciously. Dmitry recoiled, feeling a few hot, sticky drops begin sliding across his skin.

The white noise lulled slightly, just enough for him to hear, " _Dove_ , surrender!"

His eyes caught sight of Captain Singer, standing at the bow, hands behind her back. The paleness of her face was evident even over half a ship away, as was the gleaming pistol pressed to her temple. Behind her loomed a figure in a long blue coat. The pirate - for who else could it be? - shouted again, "Lay down your swords, _Dove_ , and surrender!"

Slowly, the battle died down. The crew members closest to the bow surrendered first, with the rest rapidly following their lead in a wave of reluctantly-dropped weapons and tentatively raised hands. Dmitry let the sword drop from numb fingers and held up his own. A pirate with a ridiculous moustache roughly nudged him forward, towards the main mast, where the _Dove_ 's crew was being herded.

Dmitry ended up in the middle of the group, between Poppy and Micah. The surgeon's assistant pressed closely against his side, complexion the colour of curdled milk. The thirteen-year-old cabin boy did the same, despite being splattered with half-dried blood. "I'm scared," Poppy whispered into his hair. Despite being the same age, she was half a head taller than him. Micah buried his face into Dmitry's side, slipping a hand into his own. Dmitry squeezed it tightly.

"Me too," he murmured.

The pirates chattered cheerfully amongst themselves, swapping jokes and insults, confident in their victory. They surrounded them in a loose, casually threatening mob. Despite appearances, their hands never strayed far from their weapons, many of which remained out in the open. The merchant crew was silent, huddling together, gazes flickering between their captors and their captain, still standing at the bow.

A woman stepped before Captain Singer. Her back was to the crew, but from her proud posture, magnificent hat, and the noticeably better quality of her coat, this was the pirate captain. Her hair was dark and braided, hanging almost to her elbows, silver spikes glinting from between the strands to deter grasping hands. The pirate behind Captain Singer stepped back, nodding respectfully. "Captain Singer, I introduce you to Captain Volkova," she drawled.

Dmitry's blood turned to ice. As he frantically tried to soothe his suddenly racing heart, he heard the captain say, "It truly is a pleasure to meet you, Captain Singer."

Her voice was smooth and precise, with just a hint of an accent shaping the vowels, lending her words a musical quality. The icy thrill of recognition raced down his spine. It had been a long time, but Dmitry knew only one woman with a voice like that. Paired with the name, there was no doubt as to who Captain Volkova was.

Lost in his head, Dmitry was startled when Poppy grabbed his arm. Glancing up as the crew drew closer together, he saw the pirate captain stepping towards them. Behind her, Captain Singer was looking at him, face blank. Long-lashed brown eyes in a heart-shaped face swept over them, cold and calculating. He ducked his head before they could meet his own. He noticed other members - Maria, Alma, Cain; those he could reliably count on as close acquaintances, at the very least, who he preferred to spend time with - either tense up or shift slightly. Beside him, Poppy inhaled sharply.

"Dmitry," she hissed. Her voice trembled.

"I know," he said quietly.

Micah watched Captain Volkova, face half-hidden. "She looks like you."

Her boots clicked loudly on the boards as she circled them. Dmitry tugged Micah closer and kept his gaze lowered, keeping track with his hearing. She circled once, twice, pace slow but steady. On the third round, the slowed, then paused. Dread weighed heavy in the pit of his stomach as the captain approached. She stopped and studied the _Dove_  crew. "Move aside."

The crew of the _Dove_  bristled, but unwillingly parted to let her pass as the other pirates snarled warningly. Poppy and Micah stubbornly remained in place, though the latter turned so he was facing the captain. Dmitry was incredibly, pathetically grateful for their support, even as he did his best to melt into the mast. He tracked the movement of Captain Volkova by her boots.

They stopped directly in front of him. Dmitry crushed his urge to fidget. Micah's hand was crushing his own, while Poppy's grip around his arm would definitely leave bruises. The attention of everyone on the ship crawled across his skin. A pair of gloved fingers seized his chin, forcing him to raise his head.

As he guiltily met the shocked, furious eyes of the pirate captain, Dmitry knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was absolutely going to die.

"Mitya," She breathed. It was nearly drowned out by the creaking of the ships and the waves lapping at their sides.

He licked his lips. "Ah... hello, mama."

**Author's Note:**

> I might continue this? idk. It might be interesting.


End file.
